COMMUTERS in Winsford could benefit from a share of 300,000 jobs and quicker links to major northern cities created by an ambitious rail prospectus, the group behind it says.

Through proposed new services and hopes for a Hartford hub station linking the West Coast Mainline (WCML) and Mid Cheshire Line, Winsford would see improved links to key stations and onward destinations.

Along with direct services to Warrington and Crewe – leading onto London and the midlands through HS2 – the Growth Track 360 plan would see links forged with Chester and Manchester.

Long-term ambitions for a Hartford interchange are expressed in the prospectus, which was launched at the House of Commons last week, and would see the north-south WCML 'seamlessly' connected to the Mid Cheshire Line through a new station.

John Oates, chairman of the Mid Cheshire Rail Users’ Association (MCRUA), said: “There has been a discussion for a long time about having a station where the lines cross. That is just to the west of Hartford where they are building a load of houses.

“It’s one of those things that looks fine on paper or on a nice diagram, but when you actually go there the amount of work that would need to be put in to get it to work would be phenomenal.

“It’s a long way off, if it ever happens. When the housing and roads are in place, maybe, but it’s a long way off.

“It’s really good that this investment is being discussed. We need to keep it above the horizon and it has a lot of support, including from MPs.

“Despite being so poorly connected the economy in our area is the second best performing in the country. Just imagine what it could do if we had better transport systems – more employment opportunities, more people better off, more support for public services.”

Transport secretary and former Cheshire resident Chris Grayling MP welcomed the plans, which would see £1 billion invested in the north west and north Wales.

He said: “As somebody who used to be a Cheshire resident, and was a Cheshire parliamentary candidate, I’m well aware of the importance of the region and the inter-linkages with North Wales and the north west.

“We’ve got to make sure that HS2 interacts with different lines in the north. It is absolutely of paramount importance that the connectivity is there.

“In a whole variety of different ways, [HS2] is going to provide a transformational experience along the existing routes and connecting onto existing routes.”

But campaign group Mid Cheshire Against HS2 say inter-connectivity in the north should be seen as a priority – not a 'piggyback' to HS2.

Graham Dellow from the group said: “This prospectus is assuming that HS2 goes ahead. Everybody from CEC down, and up, and sideways, has grand plans and there is no money for it – this is the issue.

“We are fairly relaxed about the whole thing, because there are just so many people wanting to piggyback off of HS2 when what is really needed in the north is better local connections.”

The plans are also backed by Cheshire West and Chester Council, Cheshire East Council, and the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise.

The prospectus claims it could lead to the creation of 300,000 jobs, cut congestion on Cheshire’s roads, and help the region become 20 per cent more productive per resident than the UK average.

It also references the introduction of a HS2 rolling stock depot, for maintenance, servicing and storage of the high speed fleet, at Wimboldsley bringing 400 jobs.

A STRATEGY calling for better rail services across Cheshire has been hailed as a ‘timely reminder’ of the county’s potential by the transport secretary.

At an event in the House of Commons on Monday, February 26, Chris Grayling MP welcomed the launch of the West and Wales Strategic Rail Prospectus, which seeks to 'maximise the benefits' of HS2.

He said: “As somebody who used to be a Cheshire resident, and was a Cheshire parliamentary candidate, I’m well aware of the importance of the region and the inter-linkages with North Wales and the north west.

“We’ve got to make sure that HS2 interacts with different lines in the north. It is absolutely of paramount importance that the connectivity is there.

“In a whole variety of different ways, [HS2] is going to provide a transformational experience along the existing routes and connecting onto existing routes.”

The prospectus, developed by the Growth Track 360 campaign, calls on the Government and its rail partners to support four hubs in Crewe, Chester, Warrington and Manchester Airport.

It calls for improvements to connectivity on nine key routes – including reopening the Middlewich passenger line, connecting Warrington to Winsford, and developing the Manchester Airport western link.

It also references the introduction of a HS2 rolling stock depot, for maintenance, servicing and storage of the high speed fleet, at Wimboldsley bringing 400 jobs.

Christine Gaskell, chairman of Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership, told guests at the launch the need for better links to the Crewe HS2 hub is ‘the earliest priority’.

She said that the region has the second-fastest rate of growth in the UK – and insists it is ‘ready to grasp the opportunities offered by HS2’.

“She said: “The proposals in this prospectus set out how we can truly spread the benefits of HS2 to over two million people. They are ambitious and comprehensive.

“HS2 is a once in a generation event. But if we do not deliver the right hub now, we’ll not only throw away the growth HS2 offers but we will also end up trying to retro-fit solutions at a later date.”

The prospectus claims it could lead to the creation of 300,000 jobs, cut congestion on Cheshire’s roads, and help the region become 20 per cent more productive per resident than the UK average.

But campaign group Mid Cheshire Against HS2 say inter-connectivity in the north should be seen as a priority – not a 'piggyback' to HS2.

Graham Dellow from the group said: “This prospectus is assuming that HS2 goes ahead. Everybody from CEC down, and up, and sideways, has grand plans and there is no money for it – this is the issue.

“We are fairly relaxed about the whole thing, because there are just so many people wanting to piggyback off of HS2 when what is really needed in the north is better local connections.”

Cllr Samantha Dixon, leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council and chairman of Growth Track 360, added: “We know our aspirations are challenging, and we know that they are ambitious.

“But we are thinking long-term, and we are advocating an approach to infrastructure planning and action that is recognised as a necessary change in the UK across the political spectrum.

“This investment will deliver huge dividends in terms of economic growth and private sector investment.”